Easter 2010 Guaranteed Win
I’m sure you’ve all seen an ad for some product or system or plan that boldly
claimed to be a guaranteed win.
Do this and you win, guaranteed.
It was Benjamin Franklin commenting on life’s certainties who said
“In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.”
( http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/benjaminfr151592.html)
Will Rogers commenting on Ben Franklin’s guarantee said:
“The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse
every time Congress meets.”
(http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/willrogers386904.html )
Andrew Jacobs who writes Winners Unlimited blog explains:
“No matter what sport you compete in, no matter what position you play,
no matter how many hours you train,
there still is no guarantee that you will win.”
(http://winnersunlimited.com/weblog/index.php/can-you-guarantee-a-victory/)
Besides Muhammad Ali, Joe Namath, Michael Jordan, who can guarantee a win
and then deliver on the guarantee?
(http://thefreeagent.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/who-can-guarantee-a-win/)
Usually when I hear that something is a guaranteed win,
I think scam.
But I’ve found a guaranteed win and I want to tell you today how you
can get in on it.
The ultimate guaranteed win comes through faith in the resurrection of Jesus.
What I want to explore with you this morning is what the resurrection of
Jesus of Nazareth guarantees.
I am not going to try to prove to you that the resurrection of Jesus is a
historical fact.
If you would like to do some research into the historicity of the
resurrection I would suggest you start reading “The New
Evidence that Demands a Verdict,” by Josh McDowell.
McDowell will give you a good start
I am not going try to explain the Trinity.
I am simply going to let the statement stand that God offers to you
certain guarantees concerning the resurrection of Jesus.
What I am going to suggest is that
“there are certain events (e.g., birth, death, falling in love, world war) that
are so profound that they transform us and how we see the world.”
(http://www.acu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/106671/Book_Review_Kelly.pdf)
One such event is the resurrection of Jesus.
I want you to see the guaranteed wins that God offers in that resurrection.
Christians believe that
“Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish prophet claimed to be the Christ prophesied in the Jewish Scriptures.
Jesus was arrested, was judged a political criminal, and was executed by
the means of crucifixion.
Three days after His death and burial, some women who went to His tomb
found the body gone.
In subsequent weeks, His disciples claimed that God had raised Him from the dead and that He appeared to them various times before ascending
into heaven.”
(Josh McDowell http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html )
“Christians believe that Jesus was bodily resurrected in time and space by the
supernatural power of God.”
(Josh McDowell http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html )
One Christian by the name of Paul of Tarsus wrote:
1 Corinthians 15:13-20 (MSG)
If there's no resurrection, there's no living Christ. And face it—if there's no resurrection for Christ, everything we've told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you've staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ—sheer fabrications, if there's no resurrection. If corpses can't be raised, then Christ wasn't, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ wasn't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It's even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they're already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we're a pretty sorry lot.
Christians today still believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.
Our statement of faith still stands:
I believe in Jesus Christ…who was…crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the
dead…” (The Apostles’ Creed)
God offers to us certain guaranteed wins,
When we allow belief in the resurrection to transform us and change the
way we look at the world.
Guaranteed Win Number 1.
Jesus’ mission and teaching is confirmed and validated.
What is Jesus’ mission?
Luke 19:10 (MSG)
“For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost."
Jesus mission is to make your relationships with God right.
What has been lost because of sin is a right relationship with God.
Everything rises and falls on relationships.
Sin deters, damages and destroys right relationships.
The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)
Jesus mission is to find the one’s lost in sin and restore them to a right
relationship with God.
What is Jesus’ teaching.?
Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)
'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
Love for God is demonstrated by your passion and intent to be obedient to His
commands.
Love for God is demonstrated by your desire to do His will on earth as
it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
This love is passionate, intimate, life giving and life sustaining, it energizes
and empowers, it calls you up into the eternal divine dance of
fellowship and communion with the Creator.
Love for Others is demonstrated by your efforts to meet someone else’s needs.
In the story of the Good Samaritan Jesus made it clear that our neighbor is
anyone whose need we see.
Becoming part of the solution to getting that need met is what
Jesus meant by loving your neighbor.
Love for Self—Jesus taught that we are to love the one in need, attempting to help
meet that need just as we are concerned about meeting our own needs.
Our greatest need is to become like Jesus.
By partnering with God and constantly working on becoming
the person that God created you to be,
you demonstrate your love for yourself.
Not a selfish love, but one that is righteous.
Jesus mission and teaching is confirmed by the resurrection.
God guarantees that everything Jesus did and taught is true.
John 14:6 (NIV)
Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The resurrection is a Divine Seal of Approval.
Guaranteed truth.
Guaranteed win.
Guaranteed Win Number 2
Empowerment to live Life to the Full
Jesus is teaching His disciples and tells them:
John 10:10 (MSG)
I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
The resurrection guarantees that Jesus can make good on His promises.
In John 10:10 Jesus speaks of giving you a more and better life than you
ever dreamed possible.
We call it the abundant life,
The ability to live your life to the fullest.
I’ve described this better life as experiencing intimate connection.
An intimate connection with God and an intimate connection with others.
Think of intimate as “in to me see”
Intimate is about being known and knowing another.
Within the security of this intimate connection you will discover
That you are loved,
And have opportunity to give that same love away to others.
You’re loved and accepted.
Wherever you are at in life you’re taken in,
and given a place to belong.
You discover you’re loved and accepted and that your life has
purpose.
God has things for you to be and to do,
That He specifically created you for.
No one but you in all time and eternity can get
accomplished what God has for you to do.
That there is purpose to your life gives you meaning,
And in fulfilling that purpose makes you
significant.
The resurrection guarantees that God will empower you to live that way.
But wait there’s more--
Jesus always tells the truth.
He tells us the truth about death and taxes.
He tells us the truth about the challenges of life.
John 16:33 (NIV)
"… In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Trouble, difficulty, hard times, no guarantees against those
Persecution, accusation, betrayal, no guarantees against those.
Frustration, aggravation, dissatisfaction, no guarantees against those.
Hunger, Sickness, suffering, no guarantees against those.
Instead because you serve a risen Savior,
Jesus empowers you to overcome all these challenges of life.
Even in your darkest hour,
When hope has almost given into despair,
At the end of your rope with a slipping grip,
There is power to prevail.
God never leaves or forsakes those that love Him. (Hebrews 13:5)
He supplies grace, the desire to be and the power to do,
Whatever is required of you. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Along with this guarantee there comes a hope that regardless what happens,
when we commit our ways to God, He can turn the messes into
masterpieces. (Romans 8:28)
When you pass through the dark valley,
The raging storm,
The current crisis,
The latest catastrophe
you’ll learn this truth:
Philippians 4:13 (NCV)
I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength.
Guaranteed truth.
Guaranteed win.
Guaranteed Win Number 1
Jesus’ mission and teaching is confirmed and validated.
Guaranteed Win Number 2
Empowerment to live Life to the Full
Guaranteed Win Number 3:
Victory over Sin and Death.
Here’s the good news of the gospel,
Jesus will share his victory over sin and death with His disciples.
You know that sin is anything that deters, damages or destroys right relationships.
If you have messed up relationships in your life,
You’re a sinner. (Romans 3:23)
If you’ve broken spiritual laws.
The Law of Love:
James 2:8 (NIV)
"Love your neighbor as yourself…"[
The Golden Rule:
Luke 6:31 (NIV)
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
The Great Commandment:
Matthew 22:37 (NIV)
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
If you have broken spiritual laws then you are a sinner.
The scriptures reveal that unless our sins are forgiven, then we will be held
accountable for each and every one by a Holy God.
(Romans 6:32, Hebrews 9:27, Revelation 20:12)
Because of the resurrection,
God can give you forgiveness of your sins and will help you change your
sinning ways. (Romans 8:34)
Acts 5:30-31 (NIV)
The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead--whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
Forgiveness for sins doesn’t come cheap. (1 Peter 1:18-19)
Forgiveness for sins brings a new start, a new chance, a new life,
(Acts 3:15, 2 Corinthians 5:17)
This time because of Guaranteed Win Number 2 you’ll have the
resources to live your new life well and right.
The resurrection guarantees that Jesus can forgive your sins, (Romans 4:25)
That’s victory over everything that deters, damages and destroys right
relationships.
But wait there’s more:
I expect to die one day,
But I will not experience death, (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)
I will not be dead and gone,
I will be like Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15:51-57)
So much for Ben Franklin’s certainty about death.
Unfortunately Jesus said we need to pay our taxes. (Matthew 22:20-21)
Because of the resurrection, Jesus can share not only his victory over sin,
But also his victory over death itself. (Acts 2:24)
Acts 2:22-24 (MSG)
Jesus the Nazarene, a man thoroughly accredited by God to you—the miracles and wonders and signs that God did through him are common knowledge— this Jesus, following the deliberate and well-thought-out plan of God, was betrayed by men who took the law into their own hands, and was handed over to you. And you pinned him to a cross and killed him. But God untied the death ropes and raised him up. Death was no match for him.
The mortality rate among humans is pretty close to 100%.
The resurrection guarantees eternal life for those who follow Jesus. (1 John 2:24)
When your breathing policy expires,
And you die, as a follower of Jesus,
You escape death, (Romans 10:9, 2 Corinthians 4:14)
The experiencing of dying is like a door opening into a
new order of life. (1 Corinthians 15:53-56)
John 11:25-26 (MSG)
You don't have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all.
The same power that raised Jesus from the dead will raise you up also. (Romans 8:11)
We have this hope that until the last day if we are absent from our physical
bodies, we are present with the Lord. (Philippians 1:21:21-24)
Waiting in Paradise for our bodily resurrection in the fullness of
time. (Luke 16:19-26, Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 4:14)
Jesus told the crowds:
John 6:38-40 (NIV)
I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
Jesus will share his victory over sin and death with His disciples.
Guaranteed truth,
Guaranteed win.
Guaranteed Win Number 1
Jesus’ mission and teaching is confirmed and validated.
Guaranteed Win Number 2
Empowerment to live Life to the Full
Guaranteed Win Number 3:
Victory over Sin and Death.
Usually when I hear that something is a guaranteed win,
I think scam.
Who can guarantee a win and then deliver on that guarantee?
Even Ali lost fights,
Namath lost games,
Jordan missed shots.
Who can deliver a guaranteed win every time?
There’s only One who can deliver a guaranteed win every time.
That One is God.
And all the bonafides are found through faith in the resurrection.
Romans 10:8-13 (MSG)
It's the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—"Jesus is my Master"—embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That's it. You're not "doing" anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That's salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: "God has set everything right between him and me!" Scripture reassures us, "No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it." It's exactly the same no matter what a person's religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. "Everyone who calls, 'Help, God!' gets help."
Here’s how you call for help.
Accept the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead.
Believe that only Jesus can give you victory of sin and death and empower
you to live your life to the full.
Commit yourself to living as a follower of Jesus.
Ask God to receive your faith as little as it may be.
"Everyone who calls, 'Help, God!' gets help."
and those guaranteed wins are yours.
Call for that help now and you can leave here knowing--
"God has set everything right between him and me!"
You can leave with a guaranteed win.